


We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too

by chocolatecastleinthesky



Series: Pynch Week 2019 [2]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Pynch Week 2019, pynch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 06:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20810258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatecastleinthesky/pseuds/chocolatecastleinthesky
Summary: Adam finally gets a job at a bookstore/coffee shop run by the sweet and mysterious Persephone. While working a weekend breakfast shift, three boys come in for a post-church brunch and one takes away Adam's breath.





	We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too

When a job opened up at the local bookstore, Adam submitted an application without batting an eye. It was a quirky little shop, called 300 Fox Way. It was two stories – the bottom floor was a very traditional bookstore selling recent releases with an attached coffee shop. Adam had frequented this area because they had free wi-fi and the owners of 300 Fox Way didn’t require him to buy anything to sit in there. Upstairs, however, was Adam’s favorite space. The stairs were old and spiraled up into the used book section. Amidst the ragged Stephen King paperbacks and far too many cheap romance novels, Adam had found treasures about magic, utilizing the power of stones and gems, and how to train in Tarot. There were little seating spots in hidden corners and it was like his own hideaway.

Adam was thrilled when Persephone approached his table one day, setting a bagel and juice down in front of him and told him he was hired. There had been no formal interview; she told him that she knew good things would happen with him there. Not one to protest a serendipitous event, he thanked her profusely and they set up his schedule so he could work around his college classes and other job as a mechanic.

It only took a few days for him to settle into a routine. He worked weekend shifts and early breakfast shifts at the store. Weekends he usually spent at the cash register selling the latest bestseller to his much wealthier classmates, and mornings he spent making coffees, teas, and other breakfast items. It was soothing and he was welcome to stay as late as needed to make use of the internet. Persephone told him more than once about her efforts to complete her doctoral program, even if she never mentioned what it was in.

It was a rare Sunday when Adam had a lunch break around noon; the managers of the shop, Maura and Calla, were both in for the day since they had a large delivery the night before and Maura had brought her daughter, Blue, a girl Adam’s age. Blue was sent to the back to start sorting books and Adam was able to relax in the corner, sipping his chai latte and reading one of the novels he’d found upstairs. The day was seared into his memory – September 22. It was the day three boys came into the shop for brunch. They were seemingly coming from church; one with dark hair was impeccably dressed, one with blond hair in wrinkled dress clothes, and the third, with a shaved head, had a loose tie and cuffed sleeves.

Adam couldn’t look away from that third brother; his mouth had gone dry and he completely forgot about the drink sitting in front of him. The boy was loud and brash, often making the blond one giggle and the dark haired one let out exasperated sighs. He was amused by their antics, but once he was caught staring by the “bad boy” one, he ducked his head and picked up his book. Glancing over it, he found himself looking at a smirk and the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen.

He saw the time and cleaned up his stuff, heading to the back to help Blue with inventory. She was grumbling about the newest bestseller romance and its anti-feminist agenda. “I honestly don’t understand why we sell this crap! We shouldn’t be enabling this type of propaganda to be spread in our society!”

“It makes revenue. We have plenty of other ways to combat it.” Their window displays were often non-traditional. They celebrated obscure holidays, celebrate oppressed groups, and still drew in customers. It was an amazing feat in a small town in Virginia.

“Yeah, yeah. How was lunch?” She opened the next box of books with a switchblade.

He blushed. “It was… nice.”

She glanced at him. “Nice?”

He leaned against her. She had become his friend when he first started visiting the shop, patient with his adapting to hearing loss and sympathetic to the plights of the lower class. “I’m so freaking gay.”

She laughed. “And here I was thinking you were upstairs enjoying your BISEXUAL-i-TEA.” He groaned.

“That… that was awful. But seriously. There was this incredibly hot guy. And when he looked at me, I’m pretty sure I reached a new phase of understanding in the world.”

“Nerd.” She handed him another stack of books. “So what’s his name.”

“I couldn’t ask him that!”

She stood and grabbed his arm. “Then let’s march our pretty asses up there and introduce ourselves, shall we?” By the time they had reached the coffee shop, the boys were gone.

* * *

The following Sunday, the three boys were back. This time, Adam was behind the counter and took their orders, carefully managing his eye contact so he wasn’t staring per se. The eldest curtly ordered a skinny latte with two espresso shots and a plain bagel with shmear. The youngest excited asked for a conconction that Adam was happy to leave for Blue to make, and he was pretty sure he got diabetes just listening to it. Finally, the one he had desperately hoped would come by again, ordered a plain coffee and an everything bagel. His smirk was branded in Adam’s mind as he turned to help Blue make the orders.

“Which one is he?” She didn’t make eye contact as she spoke over the blender. “The wannabe politician? The pure light? Or the…”

Calla cut her off. “It’s the snake, isn’t it?”

Adam sighed and added his portion of the order to the tray. “Let’s not play matchmaker, shall we?”

Blue over a shit-eating grin. “Fine. But you’re dropping off their order.”

Adam carefully carried the order over to their table, where the blond boy was excitedly telling his brothers about an incident at school this past week. They were both nodding and following along, pointedly ignoring the other. He coughed to get their attention. “I have your food. Everything bagel?” He handed out each item, trying to not blush when he caught the shocking blue eyes of the carefully disheveled boy. He tried to not speedwalk back to Blue, knowing his skin was flushed. She was shaking her head, both unaware of the rapt attention to Adam’s retreating figure by a blue eyed boy.

They became Sunday regulars after that, and Blue kept trying to force him into either taking their order or delivering their food. Eventually they learned each others’ names – the oldest was Declan (or dick-lan according to Ronan), Ronan was the attractive one, and Matthew was the veritable angel of the group. Declan started to greet him by name, and Ronan with a sneer that should not have been anywhere near as attractive as it was.

He was restocking the new release books when Ronan walked into the café, making chitchat (if you could call it that) with Calla. He glanced around for a moment before spotting Adam by the books, frowning and leaving without buying anything. Calla told him all of this with glee.

Only two days later, on a Thursday, Ronan entered the bookshop with a boy that looked way too put together to be spending time with Ronan. He was wearing an obnoxiously bright polo, contrasting with Ronan’s typical dark garb. Adam was in the loft when they came in, and he glanced down to see them. Seeing Ronan out of church clothes did something to his heart. His tight ripped jeans and tank top that showed hints of a tattoo were not something that Adam would normally find sexy but his mouth dried as he stared down at them.

“Wow, Ronan! This place seems lovely. And look – they have old books and cryptology and mythology and mysticism books upstairs! I wonder if they have something about Glendower…” The enthusiastic boy started dragging his friend to the loft and Adam quickly realized he needed to do something. He moved into the recesses of the loft to his favorite chair. Two of the cats that wandered the building were near it. He sighed and sunk in.

He heard Blue’s loud and offended voice echoing across the loft and couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Which is exactly how Ronan found him. They stared at each other, both flushing. “Uh, hi, Ronan.” Adam stood, trying to be polite.

Ronan huffed. “Adam.” They were silent as whatever their friends said to one another did not reach a point of mutual enjoyment.

“I wonder what your friend did to set Blue off.”

“Jane, please!”

“By name isn’t Jane!!”

Ronan laughed. “He is always putting his foot into his mouth. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything.”

He glanced around. “This is why you aren’t serviing breakfast?”

“I only do that on weekends. I’m technically a book boy.”

“Have any Latin poetry books laying around?”

Adam’s mouth opened. “Latin poetry books?”

“Yeah, Catullus? Ovid? Vergil? Maybe some Propertius?”

“You want Latin poetry books?” Adam was stuck like a broken record.

“Are you deaf?”

Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Only in one ear. Are you a nerd?”

“Only for Latin.” The two eyed each other before chuckling.

“We do. Have Latin books. I’m not entirely sure where, we haven’t gotten any requests or new copies since I’ve been here but I’ve seen them in the log books.”

“Well, good. How else am I supposed to seduce a nerd that works in a bookshop and hides in corners of ancient tomes?” Ronan processed what he said and blushed deeply, his ears and neck becoming a shade of pink that would be fluorescent if not for the yellowed lighting in this corner of the store.

“Seduce me?” Adam’s words stuttered with his heart.

“Food is good and all but Declan and Matty wouldn’t normally go for eating at the same place repeatedly if I didn’t ask.”

Adam stepped forward, closing the gap between the two of them. He nervously laid one hand on Ronan’s chest and slid the other to cup his jaw. “I’m glad you did.” He leaned up just a little until their lips met, a breath-stealing moment of a kiss before they parted.

“Holy shit.” Ronan pulled him closer, one arm around his waist and the other around his neck before kissing him again. Still chaste, but lingering this time until both boys were out of breath. “Let me take you to dinner.” Their foreheads were pressed together.

Adam let out a hint of a laugh. “Yes. Blue’s been trying to get me to ask you for weeks.”

“Guess having Gansey distract her did some good.” Their lips met again and again, until they were leaning in the corner of the wall, bodies entwined. Gansey and Blue found them there, her eyes alight with satisfaction and his mouth open, dumbfounded. Before words could tumble out of his mouth, her hand covered it and she pulled him away from them.


End file.
